1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of exchanging sliver containers, and in particular non-circular sliver containers, after they have been filled in a filling station of a textile machine in which, at least during the exchange process, they are being moved in a direction perpendicular to their longitudinal axis plane.
The invention also relates to a device for carrying out the method described above, the device comprising a sliver coiling device having a lower section in which conveyors of empty and full sliver containers are located and between which conveyors is located a support carrying the container being filled.
The invention also relates to a sliver container used for carrying out the method, the container having at least one pair of oppositely facing members for cooperating with handling means.
2. The Prior Art
Spinning mills have recently been increasingly using non-circular cans as containers into which sliver is deposited. Then the cans are moved to machines which take the sliver from the non-circular cans and process it. Especially in automated spinning plants requiring exact orientation of the cans, the non-circular cans are very successful substitutes for circular cans which are difficult to precisely orient.
Two methods are known for filling non-circular cans with sliver. In the first method, the cans are filled at a sliver processing machine, for instance at an open-end spinning machine. An empty non-circular can is moved out of its working place and is filled by a moving filling device, which is provided specifically for this purpose. In the filling device, the non-circular can is moved with a reciprocating motion while it is being filled. When it is filled, it is put back. The filling device does not act as a sliver supply, as is the case, for instance, in the devices described in EP 270,164 or EP 340,459.
The working place of the sliver processing machine is out of operation for a considerable period of time during the process of filling the non-circular can. It appears to be more advantageous to fill the non-circular can at a filling station that is related to but not interfering with the sliver producing textile machine. In such a filling station, the sliver can be coiled and deposited into the non-circular can analogously with a previous solution, shown for instance in Czechoslovak Patent Application No. 1462-92. The non-circular can being filled is moved reciprocatingly in the direction of its non-circular, long axis plane, under the revolving coiling head. When the non-circular can is full, its motion is stopped. Then the conveyor is moved by one space in order to locate an empty can under the coiling head.
In this system, the replacement of a full non-circular can by an empty one cannot be carried out, especially at high feed speeds, without either interrupting the sliver deposition or coiling process or without reduction in the coiling speed. In each case, this reduces the output of the sliver producing machine and has a negative influence on the quality of the sliver being produced.
Besides, the inertial mass of the moving non-circular can is considerable. The mechanism which imparts reciprocating rectilinear motion to the non-circular can must be sized for moving the total mass of the full sliver filled non-circular can. For this reason, a coiling device for high sliver feed speeds has been developed in which the non-circular can is stationary and instead the revolving coiling head moves in the direction of the long axis plane of the non-circular can. This device ensures high quality sliver coiling and deposition at any sliver speed.
However, when the full non-circular can is exchanged for an empty can, the can filling speed must be reduced. Otherwise, a considerable quantity of the sliver would escape outside the non-circular can. The amount of the escaped slivers would depend on the filling speed. At high speeds, this means not only a considerable loss of sliver, but also creates a risk that the whole device will become locked and the conveyor of the non-circular cans will be damaged.
The known sliver containers are fitted with a sliver holder in which the sliver end is gripped whole in the sliver processing machine. The end is released and then processed, as described for instance in DE-OS 3,805,203 which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,738.
Since cylindrical containers present problems of orientation in automating spinning mills, CS Patent Application 2895-91 proposes using non-circular sliver containers, each having, on one shorter side under the upper edge of the container, a support table fixed thereto and provided with a groove intended to receive the reinforced sliver point. A recess interrupts the groove.
Known sliver receiving containers, whether cylindrical or non-circular, do not permit very rapid exchange of sliver containers after they have been filled with sliver in a filling station, i.e., rapid enough to avoid the necessity to reduce the coiling speed of the high speed sliver producing machine.
Abrupt speed reduction of a sliver producing machine, e.g. of a carding or drawing machine, results in deterioration of the quality of the sliver being produced. Thus, the invention proposes a method for exchanging a non-circular can, which has been completely filled in a filling station of a textile machine, with an empty one without speed reduction of the sliver producing machine at high sliver delivery or coiling speeds. The invention is also applicable for exchanging circular containers equipped with oppositely located members serving for handling means. The invention also intends to provide a device for and containers for carrying out the method.